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United States Pilots Association |
Many USPA members visited AirVenture 2004 at Oshkosh, WI, this past week. So did USPA Executive Director Jan Hoynacki and USPA Past President Paul Hough, both of Branson, MO—and in less than 24 hr.! Yes, that was enough for us. And it was certainly worth the effort.
Leaving PLK (Pt. Lookout, MO) at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, it was a mere 2 hr. 45 min. IFR flight in VFR conditions to Fond du Lac, WI, (FLD), where the helpful ground crew fueled our Mooney Ovation2 and towed it to a hard surface tiedown spot nearby. It seems everyone in WI had been told to welcome OSH visitors warmly and tell them to have a good time. That’s a really nice thing!
It was easy this year to get an arrival reservation at FLD. http://www.fly.faa.gov/estmp/index.html made it much simpler than trying to figure out which telephone key to press. That’s a very good way to get your reservation to go to AOPA Expo in October also. No departure reservation was required leaving from FLD.
Having been invited to stay overnight with them in their motor home at OSH, USPA member Lindell Loveless and his wife Jean were already there waiting for us with hot brats and drinks. Then, after a short drive up to AirVenture at OSH, we were ready to buy tickets and hit the grounds.
How do you tackle the world’s largest aviation show in two half days? Well, we chose to ride the shuttles that take you up and down the length of the grounds, stopping at various locations along the way, and changing from south-bound to north-bound shuttles after reaching the end. From amphibians and ultra-lights at the south, to classic and type clubs, to war birds on the north, and vendors and booths everywhere in between, we were able to have a motorized tour, with stops along the way to browse in areas of interest. The afternoon air show was enjoyed during the stops, as the weather was ideal for tripping the light fantastic in aerobatic planes and war birds of all types.
(By the way, if you camp at Camp Schoeller at OSH, be sure you’re a long way away from the teen dance hall which starts at 9:00 p.m. and runs (loudly) until 11:00 p.m. every night!)
The next day found us at the Garmin booth, talking with USPA member Micky Pinkston’s grandson Scott Smith who is a Garmin salesman, checking out Garmin’s new glass panel. It’s unbelievable and a quick learn, even for old timers. But at this time you have to buy a new plane to get the glass. Retrofits are on the way.
The Mooney booth was busy selling new Ovations, with all new buyers favoring the Garmin 1000 glass. USPA member Steve Broussard who has Midwest Mooney at New Century Airport, Olathe, KS, was busy showing potential buyers the beautiful Ovation mockup in the Mooney booth. With two years of free fuel, I understand several Ovations were sold during AirVenture. And some MPA members from Lake of the Ozarks (potential USPA Individual Members) are seriously looking.
At 12:30 p.m., after downing another brat, we were off IFR from FLD to PLK, planning a direct course, unless we had to deviate around some convective weather over eastern Iowa. But at around 187 K, we flew past the storms before they invaded our path, and landed at PLK at 3:15 p.m., ready to get home, open the mail, do the laundry, have a cool drink, and give thanks to the good Lord for allowing us the wonderful privilege of living in a country where we can still jump in our plane and take in a glorious event like OSH, and be home again, all in 24 hr.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
Posted by Jan at August 2, 2004 01:07 PM